Paul Simon: a Chris Dodd Roadie
No question who America's new national treasure, Paul Simon, is supporting for president. The most conspicuous V.I.P. audience member at last night's three-hour concert at which Simon was awarded the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song was Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).
Mid-way through the show at the Warner Theater, Dodd and his wife, would-be first lady Jackie Clegg Dodd, were summoned down to the "Queen's Box" to sit with Simon's dear old friend and neighbor, Lorne Michaels, creator of "Saturday Night Live." From there, they watched Simon welcome his "dear friend and partner in arguments," Art Garfunkel (whose hair only gets crazier with time), on stage to sing - what else? - a tear-inducing (no matter your generation or its aversion to the nails-on-chalkboard sound of folk music) rendition of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It was - hear us now, make fun of us later - a beautiful thing. (The incredible line-up included performances by Lyle Lovett, James Taylor, Alison Krauss, Shawn Colvin and Stevie Wonder, among others.)
Dodd, it turns out, is a big fan and old pal of Simon, as we learned at the after-party at the uber Euro-shwanky Mandarin Oriental hotel. (We crashed the party, and no one seemed to mind).
Somehow, we were welcomed into the V.I.P. section, where Simon told the Sleuth, "I love Chris Dodd. I did a fundraiser for him in March."
And Dodd, who stayed out past 1:00 a.m., told us that Simon will be his roadie in Iowa and New Hampshire. "If he wants me to, I'm there," Simon confirmed.
Simon and Dodd were hanging out with Michaels and TV sports god Bob Costas, who emceed some of the evening - most notably a tribute to Simon's "Mrs. Robinson," which of course immortalized Joltin' Joe DiMaggio. Simon, Dodd and Michaels talked about the time they all went to Czechoslovakia for the inauguration of
Vaklav Havel. (Simon said they were "observers.")
Costas at one point declared to Michaels that if Al Gore had only gone on "Saturday Night Live," he'd be "the freaking president right now!" Simon and Michaels talked about being neighbors. And poet Billy Collins, a two-term former poet laureate, remarked that his neighbor is Lou Reed. "What am I going to say to him - 'Hi, Lou, may I borrow a cup of heroin?'" Collins said.
Collins performed on stage with the Dixie Hummingbirds, reciting his poem about driving down the road on Sunday morning listening to gospel on the radio and being "lifted into the air by nightingales." Collins was actually listening not to the Dixie Hummingbirds that morning, but to another gospel group, the Sensational Nightingales. In fact, the name of his poem is "Sunday Morning with the Sensational Nightingales," but, being poet laureate and all, and since he references the Dixie Hummingbirds in the poem, he made the cut to perform with them. And it was, in our humble opinion, the single best performance of the entire night, or second best.
Others at the after-party included Bob Marley's son, Stephen Marley, who definitely looked like he was feelin' ire. (Marley sang a Reggae version of "Mother and Child Reunion" at the concert.) Also there: Paul Simon's wife, Edie Brickell, Garfunkel and Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) - who left early - and Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) of Memphis - who stayed out late. (One partygoer, Mark Neuman, an international trade advisor, remarked, "They probably should have invited [Sen.] Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), since he is the most talented songwriter in the Senate - and he is the biggest defender of the music industry.")
The night ended in the V.I.P. room around 1:30 a.m. with Simon, 65, looking a little tired. He told us he'd better go get some sleep because his youngest son had a little league baseball game scheduled for today.
And Simon is the coach of his son's team.
By Mary Ann Akers |
May 24, 2007; 11:35 AM ET
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Posted by: Herndon | May 24, 2007 04:11 PM
Ahhh, birds of a feather wasting away together again in freakyville. (Apologies to Mr. Buffet). Talented these song writing, poetically inclined individuals may be. Intellectuals? Not so much. Their political influence greatly exceeds that of people with true intellect, but that merely demonstrates the continuing decline of intellect in this country. Too sad.
Posted by: r man | May 25, 2007 07:08 AM
After all of this week's articles, the biggest question about Dodd, P Simon et al is "Do all of those folks wear their bike helmets or should we be concerned about them as well?"
As we say in NH, Live Free and Ride
Posted by: RPinNH | May 25, 2007 09:24 AM
judging from their dopy (and I mean dope, like their references to illegal cups of ..) behavior it would appear they do NOT wear helmets while iding their bikes and those quoed have had too many falls. (spills, in the bikers' language. That goes for Dodd and Costas, too.
Posted by: jake | May 25, 2007 11:17 AM
quite good and this can help improve my english
Posted by: | May 26, 2007 09:55 PM
quite good and this can help improve my english
Posted by: birdman | May 26, 2007 09:55 PM
so much sneering. He's a citizen like all of you, and a celebrity, and within his rights to support and hire for his campaign whomever he chooses. Don't see too many quality musicians on the stump for Republicans. Republicans are just SOOOOO uncool. (seriously, although I don't really talk that way.)
Posted by: Dog Wama J | May 27, 2007 03:11 PM
Vaclav Havel is spelled Vaclav. It is a soft c, so the name is pronounced as though it were spelled Vatslaf.
Spelling the name with a k is incorrect and conveys the wrong pronunciation.
Posted by: Vaclav | May 28, 2007 11:11 AM
Finally, some information I can use... Thanks Vaclav
as far as the original piece, Mary Ann seems to be more in love with trying to sound snarky than giving any real information.
Actually sounds like an interesting evening, in spite of her attempts to write as if she were above it all.
Posted by: mike | May 29, 2007 10:08 AM
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Best performance? Try this:
1. Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
2. Lyle Lovett & Buckwheat Zydeco - That Was Your Mother
3. Paul Simon & Stevie Wonder & The Dixie Hummingbirds - Loves Me Like A Rock
4. Marc Anthony - Late In The Evening
5. Stephen Marley - Mother And Child Reunion
And here's the whole thing (I just finished deciphering my notes):
1. Paul Simon Band - Boy In The Bubble
2. Shawn Colvin & Alison Krauss & Jerry Douglas - The Boxer *
3. Lyle Lovett - 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover *
4. Stephen Marley - Mother And Child Reunion *
5. Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Homeless
6. James Taylor & The Dixie Hummingbirds - Slip Slidin' Away *
7. Billy Collins & The Dixie Hummingbirds - Sunday Morning With The Sensational Nightingles
8. Lyle Lovett & Buckwheat Zydeco - That Was Your Mother *
9. James Taylor - Still Crazy After All These Years *
10. Dianne Reeves - Our Love Is Here To Stay
11. Dianne Reeves - Something So Right
12. Yolanda Adams - Gone At Last *
13. Philip Glass - Sounds Of Silence
14. Marc Anthony - El Condor Pasa *
15. Marc Anthony - Late In The Evening *
16. Alison Krauss & Jerry Douglas - Graceland *
17. Shawn Colvin & Alison Krauss & Jerry Douglas - The Boxer (take 2) *
18. Paul Simon & Stevie Wonder - Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard *
19. Paul Simon & Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes *
encore 1
20. Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water *
encore 2
21. Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel - Cecilia *
encore 3
22. Paul Simon - Father And Daughter *
23. Paul Simon & Stevie Wonder & The Dixie Hummingbirds - Loves Me Like A Rock *
* with Paul Simon Band